New research on hot flashes, brain fog & exercise in menopause

Research on menopause — and women’s interest in it
— keeps growing. But as new information rolls out at such a dizzying pace, it’s
impossible to keep up. With everything so accessible now, where do you start and
when do you stop? And, it doesn’t help that newer studies often change the messages
that we’ve already being told.

As a doctor, I want to lessen any confusion you may have about menopause and what
the new research means to you. The latest findings tell us a lot about hot flashes,
memory problems and exercise, including information you can use to reduce troubling
symptoms and feel better.

Suffering from hot flashes?

If you’re one of the 50-80% of midlife women who have
hot flashes, you’re all too familiar with that sudden sensation of heat
in your body that can quickly spread through the chest, neck, and face and cause
you to urgently peel off layers while everyone else around you seems perfectly comfortable.
Hot flashes can be joined by other unsettling symptoms, like chills, perspiration,
anxiety and night sweats — waking in a pool of perspiration with a racing heart.

The latest research about hot flashes

Much of the literature tells us that these annoying symptoms (collectively called
“vasomotor symptoms,” or VMS) will last from a few months to a few years. Recent
studies, however, suggest that hot flashes can last more than a decade for many
women. Here are two examples of what researchers are finding:

One of the longest-running and largest studies on the subject revealed that some
women had symptoms for as long as 14 years.

A survey of 2,020 menopausal Australian women revealed that 6.5% of them suffer
symptoms into their mid-60s. Even a meta-analysis reporting a median symptom duration
of only around four years found that 10% of women in these studies were still symptomatic
12 years after their final menstrual period.

What you can do for your hot flashes

How can you predict how long your hot flashes could be a problem? It appears that
the earlier your hot flashes appear, the longer they could last — and you may want
to consider your options for hot flash relief.

In one study, 14% of women with early debilitating symptoms had already had hot
flashes three years before menopause.

Another study compared the median duration of hot flashes for women who developed
them at different stages:

Women who developed hot flashes while still premenopausal: 11.25 years

Women who were flushing as they entered menopause: 7.35 years

Women who started flushing a few years into menopause: 3.84 years

No matter when you begin having hot flashes, luckily there are many ways to reduce
them, including stress management, mind/body therapies, specific herbs such as those
found in
Herbal Equilibrium, soy isoflavones, nutrients, and limiting alcohol and
caffeine. I encourage you to see why
herbal remedies for menopause are so effective.

Brain fog in menopause: Is it real?

Do you ever wish your brain had windshield wipers — a few swooshes and everything
could be clear again? It’s disconcerting to be used to a clear focus and then lose
it, or having good recall for names and then suddenly come up empty. This is especially
scary when “bad days” turn into weeks or months and you have no idea how to turn
it around.

Brain fog and memory problems have many different causes. But if you’re around 50
and your focus is getting fuzzy as your periods become irregular, you can probably
blame menopause. Brain fog and
menopause brain may be in your head, but not in your imagination — it’s
real.

The latest research about brain fog

Brain fog is real, but it's more like a temporary hiccup in the learning process
during perimenopause.

Studies are finding that perimenopausal women with forgetfulness not only have trouble
staying focused, but also have a harder time learning new information. While the
brain activity needed to learn to play an instrument or memorize a poem continues
during menopause, the process is slower in many women during perimenopause. This
is compared to their younger — and even older — counterparts. Previous studies,
reported similar findings — once women hit perimenopause, they couldn’t learn as
easily as they could before.

Memory problems in menopause usually show up within the first year of a woman’s
final period. Estrogen levels can fluctuate wildly at this time, sometimes rising
higher than premenopausal levels.

What else affects brain function in perimenopause?

In many studies, the women with brain fog also had anxiety, depression, and/or sleep
problems — any of these can affect thinking.

A 2014 meta-analysis found that peri- and postmenopausal women scored lower for
verbal memory and memory and were more prone to depression.

Women entering menopause are often dealing with multiple life stressors (including
unexpected symptoms) that can induce anxiety and insomnia.

High levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, reduce verbal fluency in postmenopausal
women. Cortisol also increases after a hot flash.

Studies that measured the women’s hormone levels found no correlations with their
cognitive function. Keep in mind, however, that a single test at one point in time
can’t detect the hormonal ups and downs characteristic of perimenopause. The parts
of the brain that support verbal and working memory are rich in estrogen receptors,
so it’s conceivable that a woman’s brain during perimenopause is extra sensitive
to these hormone fluctuations. Estrogen supports the growth and survival of neurons,
and also plays a role in serotonin and HPA-axis regulation, important in mood.

What you can do for your memory

Rest assured most memory problems in perimenopause are not signs of early Alzheimer’s.
The fog usually clears once your body has stepped off the roller coaster and your
estrogen levels stabilize.

For example, in a four-year study that followed 2,362 midlife women, those in premenopause
and postmenopause showed consistent improvements in test scores over time, whereas
test scores among women in perimenopause didn’t budge. So, it’s the transition that
can be a bit crazy-making, not menopause itself.

As for long-term memory risk, dementia risk appears more influenced by cardiovascular
risk factors, which can mount during menopause. Consider the transition into menopause
an opportunity to get thoroughly checked out and improve your overall health.

Do I really have to exercise? I’m tired!

64% of middle-aged women who got less than three 30-minute sessions per week of
moderate activity like walking had worse menopausal symptoms.

We know exercise is good for our health, and it’s especially true for women at midlife,
when our body composition changes in ways that cause disease risks to climb. Ironically,
this is also a time when our energy levels can plummet and making it harder to keep
moving.

Unfortunately, inactivity can lead to worse menopause symptoms. In a large study
done this year, 64% of middle-aged women who got less than three 30-minute sessions
per week of moderate activity like walking had worse menopausal symptoms, and more
depression, anxiety, insomnia, and obesity than the more active women.

The latest research on exercise in menopause

For women who have limited time, there is good news about exercise and menopause.
While it makes sense that an active lifestyle would produce opposite results of
a sedentary one, many studies show moderate exercise can impact body composition
and disease risk in middle-aged women:

Only 30 minutes of brisk walking three times weekly reduced menopausal
symptoms, lipids and weight in perimenopausal women.

Two hours a day of standing or walking around the house was associated
with a 9% reduced risk of obesity and a 12% reduced risk of diabetes. After meal
spikes in glucose and insulin can predict the development of type 2 diabetes. Remarkably,
a leisurely 15-minute walk after eating can reduce glucose spikes by 50%.

Although every little bit helps, the research comparing levels of physical activity
consistently show the more you move, the more you benefit. That said, research also
shows that you don’t need to do intense exercise for hours a day to see real benefits
in how you feel and for your long-term health.

Good news about moderate exercise in menopause

As you start moving, your energy will rise; as you keep moving, your health will
improve.

Any overextended, overtired woman knows how hard it is to stick with an exercise
program. In my experience, finding an activity you enjoy helps keep exercise a priority.
Walking is a great starting point — gentle and accessible to everyone. Consider
this time of life as an opportunity to improve your overall health, with a regular
exercise program being part of it. As you start moving, your energy will rise; as
you keep moving, your health will improve. Invite a friend to join you, and get
going!

How moderate exercise benefits your health

2 hours/day of standing or walking reduces obesity and diabetes
by 9% and 12%, respectively, 1 hour/day of brisk walking reduces them by 24% and
34%.

Lessen cognitive decline

Postmenopausal women engaging in resistance training at least 2 times/week
had less brain shrinkage and progression of white matter lesions compared to both
women doing resistance training only 1 time/week and those who just did stretching
and balance training.

Cut breast cancer risk

In a large study, women who walked 7 hours/week had a 14% lower
risk of breast cancer in menopause compared to women who walked 3 hours or less
per week. The women who engaged in both walking and vigorous activity reduced their
risk by 25%.

Lower risk of heart disease

Women who engaged in moderate-intensity exercise at least 4 times/week
reduced their cardiovascular mortality by 47%, whereas those doing vigorous-intensity
exercise at least 4 times/week lowered their risk by 80%.

A big step to feeling better

Somewhere along the way, not feeling your best in menopause might have started feeling
normal. After all, most of us spend the majority of our day taking care of others,
whether it’s children, parents, friends or work colleagues, so finding the time
to try to get through all the information about own symptoms can easily fall to
the bottom of the to-do list. So I want to congratulate you for taking this step
of understanding your symptoms and what’s happening in menopause. You’re already
on your way to feeling better.

References

Lewis R. Menopausal Symptoms May Last 7 or More Years. February 17, 2015. Medscape
OB/GYN & Women’s Health. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839870.
Accessed February 5, 2016.

American Medical News. Tomaselli KP. Steps to a nimble mind: Physical and mental
exercise help keep the brain fit. November 17, 2008. Available at: http://www.amednews.com/article/20081117/health/311179980/4/.

The North American Menopause Society. Physical activity has greater impact on body
composition in postmenopausal women. October 19, 2015. EurekAlert! Available at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-10/tnam-pah101915.php. Accessed February
5, 2016.

100% satisfaction guarantee — we guarantee
you will be fully satisfied and feel the way you want to feel. If you don’t,
just let us know within 60 days after the purchase of a Program or product and you’ll
receive a prompt refund of your purchase price, minus shipping and handling, when
we receive the product back, even if you’ve taken all the supplements.

No obligation — There is never any purchase
commitment, even if you join our convenient automatic resupply program. You may
cancel at any time by calling us at 1-800-448-4919.

Customer service done right — We have real
women available to answer your calls and e-mails. Plus a great online interface
where you can control almost every aspect of your relationship with us.

Your health and happiness are our mission. If you have suggestions about how we
might improve what we do — with our products and programs, in serving you,
or on our website — please e-mail us at support@womenshealthnetwork.com. If
you want to find out more about our approach, please call us at 1-800-448-4919.
We’re here to listen and help.